Apparatus for reclaiming metals from waste.



E. E. SEACRIST. APPARATUS FOR RECLAIMING METALS FROM WASTE.

APPLICATIONFILED AUG-1. i917- A Patented Jan. 15, 1918.

3+1 vc u foz ELWUOD E. SEACBIST, 0F MEAD'VILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR RECLAIMING METALS FROM WASTE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan, 15, 1918,;

Application filed August 1, 1917. Serial No. 183,933.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, ELWOOD E. SnAcRIs'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meadville, in the county of Crawford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Reclaiming Metals from Waste, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for reclaiming metals from waste and has for its object the provision of means whereby copper, brass or other metals may be reclaimed from the slag, ladle skimmings, floor waste, etlg, of bronze mills, brass foundries and the li e. r 7

It is well known that in metal mills and foundries a considerable quantity of valuable metal is present and usually thrown away in the slag, ladle skimmings and floor accumulations. The importance of this waste was realized some time ago and as a consequence various methods and apparatus.

have been devised for the reclamation of such metal. The present practice is to granulate the slag, etc., wash it with a stream of water to remove the sand and other debris and then dry the metallic residue as a preliminary step to returning it to the melting furnace. These various operations consume considerable time and require the services of several men with a consequent too great item of expense.

It is with these facts in view that the present invention has been designed which contemplates the provision of means whereby the waste, after being granulated, is sub jected to a winnowing action to remove the useless fragments and particles and leave the particles of metal in a dry state'ready for remelting, the operation requiring the attention of only one operator and being continuous in its action.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of this character wh ch will be simple in construction, inexpensive in installation and maintenance, durable in service, and a general improvement of the art.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the novel feature of construction and arrangement to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

" Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through the device, and a Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view.

- of the barrel Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a downwardly inclined barrel provided adjacent its upper and lower ends with circumferential flanges 2 and 3 revolubly mounted in bearing mom- 6 and 7. An exhaust pipe 8 is secured upon the outer side of the bearing member 4 and distance, as shown at 9, and then extends upward at a greater inclination, as shown at 10, terminating in a baffle plate 12 is disposed within the exhaust pipe 8 at the cllned portion 10 with the horizontal portion 11. The lower side of the inclined por an openlng 13 at the forward edge of which is secured a deflecting plate 14 inclined upmember 4:. A chute 15 is secured to the standard 6 below the opening 13, as shown.

clined portion 10 of the exhaust pipe and has its end portion 17 extending through the inclined portions 10 and 9 of the pipe 8 and into the barrel 1.

end of the barrel and has its discharge end 19 extending a short distance into and controlling the blast a gate valve 20 is provided.

manner though I show it as provided with a worm Wheel 21 meshlng with a worm 22 on a support 24. The means for rotating the barrel and blower is immaterial, though ll bore 4: and 5 carried by supporting standards extends coaxially with the barrel for a short horizontal portion 11. A

' 'unction of the intion 9 of the exhaust pipe is provided with wardly to the inner periphery of the bearing A feed hopper 16 is mounted on the in- A fan blower 18 is mounted near the lower spaced from the side of the barrel. For

The barrel 1 maybe rotated in desired carried by a shaft 23 journaled in bearings have shown a motor 25 provided with a pulley 26 over which is trained a belt 27 further trained about a pulley 28 secured on a coun ter shaft 29 mounted in bearings on a supon the shaft 29 and has trained thereon a be1t'35 further trained about a pulley 36 on the worm shaft 23.

For an important purpose which will pres ently become apparent, ll provide the interior 1 with a plurality of longitm dinally. extending strips 37 which may be conveniently in the form of angle irons, as

shown, wd which are spaced equally apart will cause the portion 10 and out throu into the chute 15 from which they will The operation of the device is as follows: The slag, etc., containing the metal to be reclaimed, after being reduced to a granulated state, is placed in the hopper 16 from which it will pass through the portion 17 into the barrel 1. By virtue of the pulleys and belting described, the barrel is constantly rotating and the blower is delivering a blast through the barrel. As the granulated material enters the barrel, it will be caught by the strips 37 and carried upwardly thereby to a certain distance, whereupon by force of gravity it will fall from the strips back to the lower side of the barrel. While the material is thus falling, the blast from the blower will blow the lighter particles into the exhaust pipe 8, leaving the heavier particlesthe granules of metalin the barrel. On account of the vibration these metallic particles will gradually work down to the 7 lower end of the barrel from which they will drop into a suitable receptacle 38 placed thereunder. From actual practice it has been found that a speed of fifteen revolutions of the barrel per minute is most satisfactory. Using three strips in the barrel, this speed material to fall in a sheet or curtain within the barrel forty five times in a minute, insuring that every bit of the granulated material will be exposed thoroughly to the winnowing action of the blast. The gate valve 20 is of course adjusted so that the strength of the blast will not be great enough to blow heavy particles of metal into the exhaust pipe.

To this point, only the heavier metallic pieces will have been reclaimed. As the lighter particles of metal are blown back up through the barrel with the particles of waste, the Waste which is the lightest, will pass up through the uncurved portions. 9 and 10 of the exaust pipe and out through the horizontal portion 11 in the form of dust. The 1i ht metallic particles are still heavier than t e waste and will strike against the plate 12 and slide back down the inclined h the openin 13 op into a suitable receptacle 39.

After the heavier particles of metal have been thus collected at the lower end of the barrel and the light or flaky particles at the lower end of the exhaust pipe, turther v aeaeaa reclamation may be made, if desired, by reducing the force of the blast and running the exhaust dust through the apparatus.

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawings it will be apparent that I have thus provided a simple and efficient device whereby the particles of metal may be removed from slag, ladle skimmings and other waste, in a dry state and in proper condition for remelting without further pre liminary treatment.

It will be readily understood that I reserve the right to make such changes in the form, construction and arrangement of parts as will not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim: 70

1. A device of the character d scribed, comprising a rotary inclined barrel proyided with projections on its inner periphery, an exhaust pipe surrounding and communicating with the upper end of said barrel and inclined upwardly at a greater angle than said barrel, a feed hopper extending through said exhaust pipe and into the upper end of said barrel, said exhaust pipe being provided in its lower. side adjacent said barrel with an opening, a battle plate at the upper end of the bottom of said exhaust pipe, and an air blast conducting pipe extending into the lower end of said barrel and spaced from the. periphery thereof.

2. A device of the character described 1 comprising an inclined rotary barrel, a blast conducting pipe extending axially into the lower end thereof, a stationary exhaust pipe inclined in the same direction as and at a greater angle than said barrel and having its lower end surrounding and communicating with the upper end of said barrel, a feed hopper extending through the top of said exhaust pipe and into said barrel, the lower end of the bottom wall of said exhaust pipe being provided with an opening adjacent the end of said barrel, a vertical baflie plate secured upon the highest portion of the bottom wall of said inclined exhaust pipe, and a horizontal discharge pipe of the same diameter as and communlcating with the upper end of said exhaust pipe.

In testimony whereof I hereto afix my signature ELWOOD E. SEACRIST. 

